Despite the playoff elimination, Jamal Murray’s summer of basketball is just getting started.
Following the Denver Nuggets‘ Game 7 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday, the Kitchener, Ont. native confirmed his commitment to play for Team Canada at the Paris Olympics this summer.
The star guard didn’t get to suit up with the team in last summer’s FIBA World Cup after his Nuggets won the NBA championship and he had to spend the break resting up to prepare for next season.
However, he did take part in Canada’s training camps ahead of the tournament and had time to acclimate to his teammates in red and white, ridding general manager Rowan Barrett of concerns about having to integrate new faces into the team.
Murray, 26, will bring his strong offensive game into the fold as the guard averaged 21.2 points, 4.1 rebounds and 6.5 assists this season in Denver. He shot 48.1 per cent from the field and 42.5 per cent from 3-point range.
He’ll likely pair with superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the backcourt, as the Thunder guard was also eliminated from the playoffs in a Game 6 loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday.
Another familiar face joining him on the team will likely be Nickeil Alexander-Walker, who he was matched up against frequently in the series against the Timberwolves.
“I’m gonna ask for that same defence on Team Canada,” Murray said about Alexander-Walker after Game 4 of their series. “He’s great, man. He just plays with so much energy, activity, doesn’t get tired it feels like. Just does whatever the team needs.”
Nikola Jokic, Murray’s partner in crime in Denver, meanwhile, was non-committal about his plans to potentially play for Serbia at the Olympics. He didn’t play for the silver medal-winning team at the FIBA World Cup.
The preliminary round of the Olympic basketball tournament starts on July 27.
